Texas CB target Ryan Watts commits to Oklahoma

Back in February, the Texas Longhorns were considered the favorite to land Little Elm cornerback Ryan Watts by some experts, but the Oklahoma Sooners surged in recent weeks and landed a commitment from the rangy, fast-rising prospect on Sunday:

Officially, the 6’2.5, 187-pounder had Texas in his top 10 after receiving an offer from the Horns in early February and visiting Austin for a Junior Day that month. However, Oklahoma essentially sealed the deal during an official visit for the Sooners spring game on April 12, giving head coach Lincoln Riley a silent commitment before going public with his decision.

Watts is a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 341 prospect nationally, the No. 29 cornerback, and the No. 51 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

The most immediate impact of the decision by Watts could be on his close friend Jahari Rogers, an athlete from Arlington who is an Oklahoma legacy himself. Rogers visited Austin for the Orange-White game, but keeping him from playing with Watts in college may now be more difficult.

And there are also bigger-picture concerns about continued Texas struggles recruiting in the Metroplex, a territory that is largely owned by Oklahoma right now — six of the seven current pledges hail from that area, including four with offers from the Longhorns.

Last year’s hire of former Dallas Skyline standout Ra’Shaad Samples, the son of Duncanville head coach Reginald Samples, has made an impact, but the needed gains there in actually landing commitments haven’t happened yet.